Long hours of discussion and thought have left many questions answered and a few that refuse to be answered. One question that was recently posed again by a person new to handguns was the old catch-all question of "If you could only have one of these, which would it be?" Now this question came after a long day of shooting, I was teaching a friend to shoot handgun, at least better than he had learned in the Army.

Sitting there, trying to find something in my collection that fit him, he posed the question.  Now I have thought over this conundrum before, and I keep coming up with the same answers, and laying there on the couch were all the answers. N-Frame Smith & Wessons abounded, Colt 1911’s were a close second, and not much else sat there.

As I considered the question and looked over the collection I had two answers for him, if it was only one, it would have to be a 1911 suitably customized for me. If allowed another it would have to include a Smith & Wesson M-57 .41 Magnum with a 6"barrel. The one I have is the handgun that I have owned the longest, longer than any of my current 1911’s.

I first acquired this particular handgun a number of years back, when I was looking for a M-29 .44 Magnum, and no one had one at the gun show. As I left the show a shiny Nickel plated N-Frame caught my eye, as I walked closer I noticed that it was a .41 Magnum, knowing next to nothing about the caliber,

I slapped down my cash and walked over to a nearby table to buy the only .41 ammunition in the show.

I have to say that Venator Ammunition out of Cheyenne, Wyoming is great stuff, I purchased three boxes of their lead semi-wadcutter load running around 1000fps.

After returning home I was sitting on the front porch handling the M-57, getting the feel of the trigger, and swapping out the target grips for a set of large Pachmayr Signature grips. I loaded up the M-57 with the Venator ammo., grabbed a couple of targets and walked out to the target butts. As I started to walk away from the targets I finished the Coke I was drinking, and went back to hang it along with the targets. 

I walked back to the 25 yard line turned and fired my first shot, somehow it found the black part of the target, the next five rounds also did the same thing, I was amazed, I have never been able to duplicate shooting like this before, but I reloaded and did it again, and again. I walked down to the butts and pulled the targets, all with the 3" black shot out nicely. I started back to the house and heard the Coke can laughing at me, I pulled the last six rounds I had with me and loaded the revolver again, walking off to the fifty yard line I turned and fired. At the first shot the can jumped, this has to be a fluke I thought, and fired again and again until the revolver was empty. Somehow the can jumped at every shot, I walked down to the butts again and there in the can were six holes. I pulled the can and went inside, realizing that was some of the best shooting that I had ever done, this gun was magic.

Since that day almost eight years ago there have been many handguns coming and going but this twenty year old revolver remains here and waiting, It had had a few modifications done since that first day, first a trigger job to smooth up the action, this had since been changed again, the Smith who performed the job doing what I asked, but leaving the hammer fall too light for ultra-reliable double action work, the hammer spring has since been changed for a Wolff hammer spring of factory weight, leaving the trigger pull heavy but oh-so smooth. I can actually work this heavy D-A better than most "target " pulls that I have tried. The rear sight was replaced with a higher visibility Millet rear sight in a plain black target style. The hammer has been "Pythoned" for ease of single action cocking as well as clearing the safety strap on a holster. And lastly the forcing cone has been lengthened a bit to ease transition of long, heavy bullets from chamber to barrel.

A few years back this amazing handgun played a part in one of my better shots, I was helping a friend who was an outfitter with his Elk camp, coming in late in the night on horseback after work, I found my tent ready and waiting. I unsaddled and corralled the mount and went to sleep. I was supposed to be handling the kitchen duties for the camp, my friend would take the hunters out at four in the morning, bringing them back in around ten for breakfast/brunch so I actually got to get some sleep. I crawled out of my bedroll around eight-thirty and staggered out of my tent. Standing there right across the fire pit was the nicest six point bull elk you have seen. That danged old .41 jumped out of the police crossdraw I carried it in and was lined up and firing before I knew it, the Elk dropping right there in camp like it had been pole axed. It was a light load by hunting standards, a 215gr Laser-Cast bullet over a 10gr charge of AA#5 and

A CCI large pistol primer. The Elk was hit right behind the fore leg on the portside, exiting through the starboard-side leg, shattering the bone, it just dropped and rolled on its side. I looked at the critter, and saddled up my horse to pull the Elk out of camp before starting to cut it up. There were some pretty mad hunters arriving back at camp to find fresh Elk Liver and sautéed onions waiting for breakfast, thinking that I had snuck out before them and scared off the rest of the Elk. I then pointed out the blood trail leading from under one of the camp chairs out to the hanging critter, suddenly there were some pretty embarrassed hunters wolfing down breakfast. It took three more days until they got a shot at something , and again it was right near camp, go figure.

In all the time that I have had this revolver it has accounted for the one Elk, six Deer, three Coyotes, and unknown number of prairie rats (prairie dogs), one feral dog and one skunk at about three feet. And I have to give credit where credit is due, the Cor-Bon loading with the 210gr JHP at 1350 kills extremely well, the skunk died so fast that it didn’t even have time to stink up the place.

If I absolutely positively have to hit something hard and fast I have to reach for the M-57.

On the other hand my first choice is no surprise to those who know me, a M-1911 .45 auto. Preferably one of three of the ten or so that I own. The first and probably best choice is my Colt 70’s Gold Cup that has been lightly customized to suit me better. It wears Ahrends grip panels, Allen head grip screws, Videcki long trigger, a flat mainspring housing, a modified rear sight, a dovetail front sight, full length guide rod (I’ll explain this one later), 18 ½# recoil spring, and a Clark four-leaf mainspring as well as an unknown makers oversized thumb safety that dates to the 50’s. It has a three pound trigger pull that makes it easy to shoot and hit with, but maybe a bit too light for most people.

Normally I re-bush all 1911’s that come into my possession just to help wring out that little extra bit of accuracy from them, but this one just shoots too well, sub-2" groups at 25 yards are normal for this beast. The only other real modification done to this Gold Cup is the fitting of a Colt Conversion Unit to use .22 long rifle ammunition for cheap practice and small game hunting, also of ‘70’s vintage, the conversion is still undergoing work to make it more reliable.

All of the 1911’s that I own have full length guide rods on them, now some decry this part and its use but I happen to like them, making the slide feel like it runs smoother, preventing spring rub in the dust cover, and most importantly allowing the removal of the original slide and replacement with a conversion unit without full disassembly, just drawing back the slide and removing the slide stop like a Hi-Power allows for replacement of the slide units in either caliber.

The other choice is a more recent acquisition, a 1953 vintage Government model .45 auto. Done up just like the Gold Cup with the exception of the original safety and sights it feels exactly the same in the hand, as do all my 1911’s. It only needed a bushing to make it a true shooter, at least equaling the Gold Cup as far as accuracy is concerned. I also did a bit of throating and polishing to make it SWC reliable. It has a four pound trigger pull, right on the nose, with no creep at all, it is so easy to use.

When I took possession of the ’53 it was in need of attention, having next to no finish left, a finger print actually being rusted into the bottom of the barrel. A bit of attention and some Brownell's Teflon spray and bake making it almost respectable to look at, wish I hadn’t run out before finishing the piece. Soon it will go down the street to Rocky Mountain Arms for their Bear Coat Teflon finish in black, wonderful stuff. This piece also has a conversion fitted to it, a 1941 vintage unit that I had to refinish in a bead-blasted blue to cover years of use and abuse before I got my mitts on it.

Lastly the Colt Delta Elite 10mm Auto, it has all the same modifications that the others have with a few exceptions, a 22lb recoil spring (Wolff naturally), a set of Meprolight Nite-Sites, Brown ambidextrous thumb safety (the only one I use), and a Pachmayr flat mainspring housing., unlike the rest which use steel flat housings. After rebushing this gun will shoot into an inch and a half at 25 yards all day long, with a power level that almost equals the .41 above, in an easier to carry package. The Delta also has a Colt Conv. Unit fitted to it. If I didn’t already own the conversion units I’d probably get Wilson Combat manufacture units, they are more accurate out of the box and less finicky is an understatement when describing them.

All of my .45auto 1911 shooting is with my hunting load, with a 200 gr LSWC over an unmentioned charge of AA#5 and a Win large pistol primer, it runs out right at 1000fps in a five inch barrel. Good enough for everything I’ve shot at yet. I hate to use this load in an Officers sized frame though, it tends to sting a bit. But in a Combat Commander it will put down a deer quite well.

I’d list some of the more spectacular shots that I have made with a 1911, but I am trying to save a bit of space and not bore everybody. That and at least two of the shots I don’t believe that I made let alone anyone else believing.

After all these years of collecting and shooting everything that comes down the pike I have tried and gotten rid of most of the things that were nice but not quite right, leaving a bunch of N-Frame Smiths, and a bunch of 1911’s built almost alike, as these work for me better than almost anything else.

Of course as I write this my 6" Python looks at me with disgust and envy, if only it were a bigger caliber. The H&K P-7 PSP may never speak to me again, after being put back into the safe for the rest of the year, I’ll be carrying a Glock until the end of December, P.O.S.T. training out here is with the Glock only and I want to be completely used to one when I qualify, but I still hate them. Combat Tupperware! The Law-Enforcement Model 1076 10mm Smith & Wesson is looking at me with reproach after hitting nine for nine at 50 yards on a 9" paper plate and seven of nine at 100Y on a silhouette target, wish I hadn’t dropped the other two out. I love the way this thing shoots.

I know that I kinda copped out on the initial question, but I have so many that fill the bill it comes down to which is closer to hand at the time of need, even the 9mm Glocks that I so despise.I hope that it never comes down to actually picking one over the rest, and I hope that you never have to make the choice yourself but if you do, pick one that fits you, that is utterly reliable and you might even be in love with, kinda like a woman.